Today, GNR operatives begin an inspection action with reinforced attention to the use of mobile phones while driving, an operation called "Smartphone, Smartdrive" that is directed to roads where the highest accident rate is. Military personnel from the territorial commands and the National Traffic Unit are involved until the 17th of February.
According to GNR, the use of smartphones behind the wheel is one of the main risk factors. "Distracted driving is a risk factor that has been the subject of increasing attention in road safety policies, so that the European Commission, in the Action Plan for this decade (2020-2030), highlighted distracted driving as one of the main risk behaviors for road safety ", says a statement.
The data shared by the authority indicate that in 2019 22 thousand drivers were fined for the improper use of the mobile phone while driving.
The Autoridade Nacional de Segurana Rodoviria has an ongoing āDriving, no use mobile phoneā campaign, which is part of the National Inspection Plan, which aims to alert drivers to the risk of using the mobile phone while driving, especially for the category that its handling causes.
The increase in reaction time, the assessment of speed and the maintenance of safety distances, as well as a poor positioning of the vehicle on the road, are some of the problems that the use of the mobile phone causes when driving, also associated with the difficulty in interpreting the signaling and the disregard of the rules for transfer of passage, also in relation to pedestrians.
Figures from a recent study by Liberty Mutual indicate that three quarters of Portuguese people use a mobile phone while driving. The analysis was carried out in six countries but the Portuguese are among the drivers who use the mobile phone the most while driving.
